Local Penney's Puts On A New Face

HAMPTON — Since J.C. Penney Co. Inc. remodeled its Coliseum Mall store late last year, shoppers have found themselves checking the sign out front to make sure they were in the right store.

The plain, modest clothing went back to the warehouse. The furniture section moved out of Penney's second floor at the mall and up Mercury Boulevard into its own 49,000-square-foot store called J.C. Penney Portfolio. The stereo equipment, camera gear and sporting goods moved off the floor and into the J.C. Penney catalog.

"We asked our customers what they wanted see on our clothing racks, then we brought in what those Peninsula shoppers asked for," said store manager Bill Fleenor. "The change paid off. We've had double-digit sales gains since we remodeled last November."

"Before we upgraded our clothing selection, women would shop for themselves at other department stores and come to Penney's for the kid's things," Garrett said. "Our new, bigger selection has enticed women to shop here more often."

By 1990, all 1,700 J.C. Penney stores throughout the United States will resemble the Peninsula store. About one-third of the stores have already changed their merchandise. The move to upgrade the retail chain started in 1987 when the first stores were remodeled.

The company, which has tradition ally been compared to Sears Roebuck & Co. and Montgomery Ward & Co., is trying to attract shoppers from markets like Leggett Department Stores and Thalhimers.

Two of the mall store's biggest improvements were adding a women's executive clothing department and hiring personal clothiers for customers, according to several shoppers.

"About the only thing I ever bought at Penneys before they changed their styles was vacuum cleaner bags," said one customer. "As you can see by these packages, I've just about bought my whole spring wardrobe here today."

With the personal clothiers, each customer is assigned a sales clerk who helps them coordinate their wardrobe throughout the year, Fleenor said. The clerks keep files and forgetful husbands may get a telephone reminder from a clothier as their wive's birthdays approach, Fleenor said.

"The company made some gutsy decisions in '87 when it decided to drop its hard goods line," said Joseph Ronning, an analyst for Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. in New York. "Even though the women's clothing market was soft last year, the company managed a 2.9 percent increase in sales. They are confident they're on the right track now. And I would have to agree."